10 Cozy Winter Meals to Make You Happy to Stay Inside

In many ways, I think this is the best time of winter for cooking. There's no holiday pressure. Our guests have all gone home. We have no real obligations at all. Which means that we get to cook exactly what we want, when we want to, and eat at our leisure. If you're at home today, I'd say this is the perfect time to drag out a heavy soup pot, pick some spices, and get something warm and comforting simmering on the back burner.

A cozy winter meal can mean a lot of things — a pot of beans and a smoky ham bone, creamy polenta topped with wilted greens and a poached egg, chewy pasta with meatballs. The universal truth is that a winter meal must fill your house with aromas of cooking and satisfy you to the very tips of your toes. Bonus points if it's amenable to being eaten on the couch while covered in blankets.

We have a great archive of these kinds of meals here at The Kitchn, and we dug deep for some of our favorites below. We have a hearty chili topped with sharp cheddar cheese, a simple lamb stew spiced with cinnamon, how to make the world's best lasagna, chicken and dumpings, and many more. Take a look and then share what meals you've look forward to making on long winter days at home.